Phantoms Within
by Tasogare-Ankoku-Bara
Summary: Where There Is Heaven... Hell Will Surely Follow" like mah slogan? lol Please Review! This story is set on a world called Heart. Very like Final Fantasy. Is being made into an amateur anime series! Rated M for language, violence and eventual sexy scenes!
1. Chapter 1 What? Where? Who?

Chapter1 – What? Where? Who? 

_The wind whipped through the rigging of the vessel, howling like some enormous creature in pain. There was a splintering crunch that could be felt as well as heard and the ship visibly lurched inwards. Its keel had been broken, and it was sinking fast. Some of the crew escaped over the side, but were drowned by the merciless tide. The central mast was falling straight towards the stern of the ship, and a young girl, not more than 17 looked over her shoulder in horror. She saw the mast falling towards her like a stone, and her eyes widened like those of a rabbit caught in headlights. Something inside her gave the storm behind the mast a face, a face grinning evilly at her with carnivorous rage. She stood stock still, transfixed and unable to move. The mast missed her by bare centimetres and awoke her from the nightmares racing through her mind. She stared out to sea, saw and felt the dark waves tossing the little ship about like a plaything. She saw yet another wave, it's claw-like crest almost as high as the second mast, sweep it's way towards the ship with ominous rapidity; and she screamed as the wave swept over the side onto the deck and dragged the wrecked little ship into the murky depths. The girl tried to escape the grasp of the ocean, but her foot was caught in the rigging of the doomed vessel. Desperately she cried out as she went under, but in vain, for her voice was all but drowned out by the thunder. She swallowed a lungful of the raging tide and panicked further, arms and legs flailing in an uncoordinated striving for life. In her last moments she prayed a silent plea of help to any God or Goddess that could hear her. Frantically she tried to free herself from her bonds, but to no avail, and she was pulled into oblivion along with the rest of the crew. She saw the waves crashing overhead one last time, and then blacked out._

Gentle waves swept up the sandy beach and receded with a dull swoosh. They lapped at the feet of a small figure lying, unconscious in the sand. Slowly the figure opened her hazel eyes and, albeit shakily, sat up, blinking a few times as she got used to the bright sun. Rocking unsteadily back and forth she held her hand to her forehead and breathed deeply, trying to rid herself of the dizziness and her thumping headache. She smoothed her mahogany hair, meandering its way down her back to beyond her hips, and she wrapped a few beautiful strands around her fingers while she gained her bearings. Slowly the figure stood up, and took her first, unsteady steps up the beach. She reached the shade of the trees with a sigh of relief and collapsed under the source of shelter. The sun was at its zenith and even in the shade, it seemed to be sapping what little strength she had left.

She sat there, utterly motionless for perhaps half an hour staring out to sea with vacant eyes; seeing, but not taking anything in, watching the hypnotic motion of the tide. So complete was her state of shock that her brain was unable to process any of her senses, acting merely on autopilot. _Where am I?_ She struggled to wonder, as she surveyed what some seemingly distant part of her mind told her was a peaceful scene. Her memories were fragmented, scrambled, and far beyond her mind's comprehension in its current state. The one memory that bored its path strongly through her mind was of her suffocation under millions of tonnes of water. _But...wait...I... died on that day. I...had been caught in the rigging, how could I have survived?_ She asked herself, knowing full well that she couldn't make out the answer. The lack of knowledge made some animal part of her brain panic. Instinctively she checked herself for wounds, and found none. But the panic worsened instead of subsiding. She had suffocated to death, but hadn't died. She had lost virtually all of her memory, and the fragmented pictures in her mind made no sense. Her head was pounding, and alongside that was a strange sensation that only made her panic further; as if there were two minds crammed into a space designed to accommodate only one. Tears began to stream down her cheeks, but her whirling mind ignored them and they sluiced down unchallenged. Also unknown to her was that she was shaking violently. She fell to one side, clutching her knees to her chest and muttering incoherently, tears refusing to be quelled, and whimpers refusing to be silenced. The numbing pain that seemed intent on crushing her skull was getting stronger and stronger the more she panicked, the more she rejected the feeling of the dual presence. She screamed in agony, over and over again, the pain and fear striking through her tortured mind like daggers. Paradoxically they helped force her to focus. Her head forgot its muddle for a moment as it tasked itself with heeding the nerves screaming at it to stop the aching. Somehow she managed to focus and as if by memory, took several slow deep breaths. It calmed her, if only a little, and the pain receded in equal measure.

Her brain dully realised that it would have to share its domain with another, perhaps even co-operate with the intruder, and begrudgingly lessened its rejection of the new presence. The pain receded further, becoming little more than a low buzzing around her hypothalamus, and she was filled with an eerie tranquillity, as if something or someone had collected all the fragmented thoughts and fears and anxiety and removed them from her. Her memory was still a fraction of what it should be, and hardly in a fit state for recollection, but she was alive. That to her at the moment was the only thing that mattered. There was only one other memory besides the tide that burned through clearly, her name and it's meaning, Kira Shiratori. Deep down Kira knew that it described some special family prophecy, but didn't know why the name had been given to her. It meant 'Maiden of Radiance'. Remembering this, she recalled something else. That was the name for someone... someone very important to not only her but also to a lot of other people. But who bore such an odd alias? She didn't know.

For the first time since she awoke Kira looked at herself. She was about 5' 8", slim, but with an hourglass body and legs that were long and slender, obviously built to run. She continued to look over her body, blushing at how generously busted she was, and was surprised to find that there was no trace of injury after the hurricane. She was even more surprised to find a black symbol on each of her upper arms. Kira didn't know what it was or what it meant, maybe some kind of birthmark, or perhaps something more sinister. It looked remarkably like a wing but with an inverted mirror image to the left. There were other symbols behind the image, a circle with writing of a kind unknown to her, maybe runes of some sort.

She looked around briefly and spotted a small pool of water in the bowl of the tree, she was going to take a drink, when she noticed her reflection. Her eyes were not quite normal, the brown pupils almost imperceptibly oval in shape and she started violently. She tentatively looked again at her reflection but found to her surprise that the minute difference in her eyes fitted in nicely with the shape of her jaw and the way her hair framed her face, and she began to calm down. She cupped her hands together and took a gulp of the water. Despite the heat it was still cool and refreshing. Her stomach made its presence known to her with a discomforting rumble, and she guessed that it had been days since she had eaten. Wearily she got up from her spot in the shade and, spotting a little-trodden path through the trees, she set off. After much searching Kira found a large, and decidedly prickly bush. It bristled with angry red thorns over an inch long, and Kira was half tempted to leave it be; but her stomach growled in protest and she relented.

Kira had just finished picking an armful of the berries, and was carrying them back to the beach so that she could watch the evening tide, when she realised that the berries may well not be safe to eat. She frowned to herself for a moment, chiding herself for not thinking of this beforehand and then laughed. The thorns had hacked at her mercilessly as she had groped for the fruit, and the berries must be _well worth protecting if the plant spent so much effort on its defences._ "Well, I guess there's only one way to find out…" She lifted one small red orb to her lips and, hesitating for a moment, bit into it. The berry released a flood of juices onto her tongue. The taste was delicious, sweet, but with a complimenting sharp undertone. Kira smiled at her discovery; she knew the plant would be facing a return visit. She was torn from her meal by an almost imperceptible sound off to her left. She stopped and listened intently, and after hearing nothing more, shrugged and carried on back to the beach, eating berries all the way. She didn't realise how far she had travelled to find her meal, and the sun was well into it's nightly decent as she neared a clearing. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw a movement, a shadow flitting by alongside her; hidden in the trees but following, tracking. A twig cracked loudly somewhere off to her right. She whipped round, eyes fearfully probing the murky darkness, but saw nothing. Still she quickened her pace and soon left the clearing far behind. The sun was by now low in the sky and she realised, not without a certain amount of worry that she had no-where to stay. She looked round for a hollow tree or crop of rocks to shelter in but saw none.

Kira turned back to face where she was going and came face to face with a horrific, scale-covered creature. It resembled a black snake, but it was far larger than any other living thing she could recall ever seeing, perhaps 15 ft long from head to tail, with larger, grey, armour-like scales covering its weaker, exposed torso segments. It towered over her, and she dropped her berries with fright, cursing when she realised. It had four arms and a long, muscular tail, each limb obviously fast as well as strong, and each ending in a horrifically serrated meter-long blade. It roared ferociously, displaying a mouth ringed with dagger-like teeth, and Kira could feel the ground trembling along with her. She screamed with terror and feebly endeavoured to protect herself with her arms. The serpent advanced on her and she backed away, shaking with fear. As it came on she tried to back away once more but found that she could not move. She was cornered, that... _thing _in front, and a giant cliff behind! The monster gave what she supposed was a smile of satisfaction, and she could see the confidence in the beast's four crimson eyes. They both knew that it had won, that she was cold meat; ready to be carved at any time it wished. The Draken hauled its muscular bulk effortlessly towards her, raising its uppermost limbs to attack.

Kira begged it to stop, but it slashed at her regardless. She tried desperately to avoid the blades, nimbly jumping to the right of one, ducking under another, barely sidestepping a third swipe that tore at the air where she should have been, but by terrified instinct, wasn't. She screamed for help, but none came, and the Draken added its own voice to the racket, claiming Kira's body for itself. It raised its hideous head into the air and bellowed. Kira saw an opportunity for escape and ducked under the serpent's arms and fled. The Draken heard her footsteps and lashed around, giving a roar and setting off in pursuit though the trees, the crashing of snapping timber making Kira run all the quicker. The sound was getting closer and closer, and she couldn't run any faster! She was almost tripping over her feet in her haste, darting around trees, over logs, under branches, until eventually she was greeted by a sheer wall of rock. _No..... I've run in a circle!_ She gave a frustrated sob, looking up in dismay when she heard the monster break through the trees at the edge of the clearing. Trembling with fear she backed away, back scraping on almost the exact same crop of rocks as before.

The Draken resumed its attack, carving down towards her. Kira managed to dodge one, and then another by bending backwards, trying to balance whilst avoiding the blade. The scimitar edge skimmed over her head so close that she felt the wind of its passing. Instinctively, she drew back sharply and overbalanced. With a scream of surprise and fear she fell. The Draken was in mid slash with another arm as Kira fell, the blade's tip catching her arm and then gashing on, ricocheting off of the rock with a sharp, metallic _wang! _Kira gave a shriek of pain, collapsing to her knees and clutching at her injured arm. She tried to stem the flow of blood with her hand, but some escaped between her fingers and ran down her arm in little trickles, like the tears flowing in streams from her eyes. The Draken smelled blood and came in for the kill, opening and closing its salivating jaws in anticipation.

Kira didn't know what happened next. She saw the blood on her hand, her blood, and a kind of blind fury took hold of her. She glared intensely at the creature. She stood up, hands by her sides, staring at the ground. The wind whipped around her body, the ground splintered into a crater beneath her feet, and a swirling vortex of blinding light blazed about her. The beast tried to slash at her once more, but the wind kept it back, and the blade sparked off of the barrier of light, which seemed impossibly solid. Her hair turned a purple-black, flying about in the air around her. The markings on her arms began to glow a bright gold, and the circle in the background of the marking span and then appeared on the ground around her feet, slowing almost to a stop. The rune-like symbols on the circle abruptly exploded into black flame and burned high into the air, spiralling slowly higher and higher, counter-clockwise to the circular marking on the ground. The wing marking appeared in a brilliant gold on her forehead. She looked up slowly and her pupils narrowed into hard slits, becoming an amethyst shade of purple. The light and flame slowly receded back into the ground, leaving the figure standing where Kira had once been.

The Draken hadn't stopped its frenzied attack on her throughout her transformation, and now it continued, raising its dagger-like limb once more, its muscle rippling as it strained to put more strength into the blow. It slashed again at the being, for it was obviously no longer Kira, but the new figure simply lifted its arms, hands open as if to catch a ball. The blade swung down in a vicious arc, but the being grabbed the blade between her open palms and held it fast. The dagger came to an abrupt stop perilously close to her eye. The Draken's arm shuddered with effort as it tried to force the blade to carry on downward, but the being just tightened her grip slightly. Slowly she let go of the limb with one hand, the other still, and with masterfully hidden effort, holding the blade. The free hand struck the serrated limb on its flat side, seemingly gaining little momentum in the short distance of its travel, and contacted with a dull _clink._ Nevertheless the blade bent, buckled, and then snapped. A shard flew off and sliced the being's cheek, but she didn't flinch. Instead she threw the bio-metallic shard far into the sky and, leaping into the air after the fragment, kicked it back towards the Draken, the projectile invisible with its sheer velocity. The fragment slammed into the Draken like a meteor, shattering one of its armour segments, and throwing it into the ground. It crawled numbly from the undergrowth along the ditch its flying body had created and supported itself on its lower limbs.

The splinter was impaled deep into the serpent's flesh and the beast roared in unconcealable agony as it struggled to move into a defensive posture with its one free blade. But the being was not finished. Falling slowly back to earth and somersaulting gracefully through the air, she landed gently, facing away from the beast, blood from it's broken limb and torso staining the ground maroon. She held out her hands, palms skyward, and slowly they began to glow, a smoky purple light surrounding them. She ran at the cliff face, moving fast enough to be all but a blur to the Draken's fading eyes. She ran straight up the earthen wall and, as gravity finally began to slow her down, she twisted over onto her front, tucked in her legs and then kicked off from the cliff-face, throwing herself down towards her injured foe. A flash of black and purple flame swirled and spiralled around her diving body, and streaked after her as her energy ignited the air flowing in her wake. With arms swept back in an arrowhead shape, the being struck the beast full on the injured torso segment with her shoulder and arm, and landed perfectly balanced, arms still outstretched behind her, crouching on one knee. The serpent split into two halves, but with none of the sounds that one might expect; the tearing of flesh, the rending and crunching of bone and armour, and perhaps even more surprisingly no more blood, the wounds cauterised by the after-flame; just two halves of the foe lying on the ground. The entity slowly rose, glancing briefly at the fallen Draken, and then at the rapidly descending sun, before walking off into the darkening undergrowth.

And thats it for chapter 1, i may write and upload aprologue too but yeah, hope you all like it and i would appreciate.. hell, i CRAAAAVE feedback so please leave critique, especially advice and suggestions, as i am always looking to improve my writing. :d thanks again. All characters and Phantoms Within are (C) to me! - no stealies!


	2. Chapter 2 Friend or Foe?

CHAPTER 2 - Friend Or Foe? 

_The wind whipped through the rigging of the vessel, howling like some enormous creature in pain. There was a splintering crunch that could be felt as well as heard and the ship visibly lurched inwards. Its keel had been broken, and it was sinking fast. Some of the crew escaped over the side, but were drowned by the merciless tide. The central mast was falling straight towards the stern of the ship, and a young girl, not more than 17 looked over her shoulder in horror. She saw the mast falling towards her like a stone, and her eyes widened like those of a rabbit caught in headlights. Something inside her gave the storm behind the mast a face, a face grinning evilly at her with carnivorous rage. She stood stock still, transfixed and unable to move. The mast missed her by bare centimetres and awoke her from the nightmares racing through her mind. She stared out to sea, saw and felt the dark waves tossing the little ship about like a plaything. She saw yet another wave, it's claw-like crest almost as high as the second mast, sweep it's way towards the ship with ominous rapidity; and she screamed as the wave swept over the side onto the deck and dragged the wrecked little ship into the murky depths. The girl tried to escape the grasp of the ocean, but her foot was caught in the rigging of the doomed vessel. Desperately she cried out as she went under, but in vain, for her voice was all but drowned out by the thunder. She swallowed a lungful of the raging tide and panicked further, arms and legs flailing in an uncoordinated striving for life. In her last moments she prayed a silent plea of help to any God or Goddess that could hear her. Frantically she tried to free herself from her bonds, but to no avail, and she was pulled into oblivion along with the rest of the crew. She saw the waves crashing overhead one last time, and then blacked out. _

Kira woke with a scream, shaking uncontrollably and bathed in sweat. She calmed down when she realised that it had only been a nightmare…or was it a bad memory? She didn't know. She felt an aching in her cheek, and when she touched her face she felt the coarse scab of dried blood. The hem of her top was also ripped and she soon discovered why this was. It was wrapped tightly around her arm, although it had gone an unpleasant shade of red. She was at a loss to explain both the scab and the bandage. She felt herself beginning to panic once more, and the shaking worsened. Slowly, as if from within her, she began to feel a warm sensation. I emanated out from her heart and seemed to envelop her. As suddenly as it had begun, the sensation faded, she noticed along with her panic, and any renewed panic she would have expected to feel with these new events. The shaking eventually stopped, and she took stock of her surroundings. Her eyes had just started to get used to the darkness when the first rays of the sun were making their way into the inky blackness of the cave in which she sat; _wait a minute! Cave?! How did I get here? _Still unable to find an explanation for anything, she gave up trying to find one, still enthralled within the sense of tranquillity, and proceeded to step out onto the ledge outside the cave to watch the rising of the sun.

She recalled that she used to like this time of the day, the sense that it was a whole new beginning, a chance to put matters behind you and focus on the tasks of the day. Kira sat down, legs in front of her, crooked slightly, elbow resting on one knee, her hand holding her chin. She gazed at the horizon, capturing even the slightest movement. The silhouette of a butterfly passed overhead, and she gently held out a finger, upon which the butterfly obediently landed. Kira marvelled at the gaudy wings, and stared at the butterfly for a long time. Eventually it flew away, and Kira turned her gaze back to watching the sunrise. She was all alone on this island, but didn't feel lonely; it was just so peaceful up on the ledge.

Twin suns rose unhurriedly in tangerine yellow and gave her skin a bronzy glow. Kira basked in the warmth soaking it in, enjoying the feeling of invigoration it gave her. Eventually she turned herself away from the dawn sky and found her way down a small cliff-path to the ground below. She remembered seeing a pool or hot spring not far from where she had found the fruit, and although not eager to tempt fate and risk meeting any more of the 'locals', she needed to wash the crystallized salt and sand out of her hair, and clean her clothes. After scouring the nearby trees for over half an hour, she decided that there was indeed no one around. She took off her tanktop style shirt, skirt, underwear and fur-lined boots and after rinsing them thoroughly, laid them down carefully in the sun by the spring to dry. She made a beautiful dive into the pool, barely rippling the surface. It was warm and clean, and Kira made a note of its position for further use. She washed and swam for a while. A bit later she looked up and saw how high the suns were in the sky, and how wrinkled her fingers were, and decided that it would be best to get out of the spring, much as she was loathed to do so. She felt around for her clothes, and couldn't find them…  
She was wondering "Just what the hell was she going to do?!" when she heard a voice laughing not far away. She whipped around in a flash, and ducked down low in the pool, hoping that the rocky edge would hide what the water couldn't.  
She saw a young man, not much older than her, sitting on a rock watching her with un-suppressed mirth. He was over 6 ft tall, had platinum, almost white hair, spiking dilapidatedly in all directions, and mysterious blue-green eyes. She also noticed that he had a large, wicked looking sword holstered on his back.  
"Looking for these?" He asked playfully, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.  
Kira glared at him, angry and embarrassed, trying to use her hands as additional cover. "Hey, Give them back!" She demanded, skin flushed in annoyance and embarrassment.  
"Let me think about that…" He pretended to contemplate his answer, his eyes still shining with mirth. "No. Sorry Kira but you're clothes are mine now! You remember you lost our little bet the last time I saw you?" Kira gave a cry of shock and anger.  
"Who are you? How do you know my name? What bet?"  
"Come on Kira, that playing dumb game used to be cute when we were kids, but that was a number of years ago, so how bout I throw you your clothes, you get dressed, and then we can catch up." He smiled at her as if he'd known her for years and it worried her. She had no idea who this guy was but he seemed to know a lot about her and as concerned as she was, she guessed that he would be able to tell her a lot about her past. She decided to be civil, if wary; after all she still had no idea who this playful character was. His grin faded as he saw the look of confusion on her face. "Kira, you do recognise me don't you? It hasn't been _that_ long has it?" His grin returned, but a shadow of its former self. His brow was furrowed and he looked just as concerned as she. Kira shook her head, bewilderedly. "I.. I'm sorry.. I have no idea who you are, but .. please.._ please_ give me back my clothes..." He had seemed distracted for a moment whilst she was speaking, but now he broke out of his reverie and nodding, picked up her clothes to give to her. He stopped, still in disbelief of the situation.

"You mean you really have no idea who I am Kira?" Kira looked up at him, the sound of her name on his lips for some reason sending a thrill through her as well as perturbing her further. His face and voice seemed to jar memories that remained just out of her grasp. "Please don't use my name.. I don't even know you!"  
He sighed, rubbing his temples as he realised that she was definitely not playing a trick on him. She genuinely had no idea who he was. "Okay.. Lets start from the beginning. My Name is Hiro, Hiroshi Boeuréd'Immir. You and I have known each other for over 10 years. We were best friends; inseparable to the point that we were often mistaken for a couple." Kira blushed at that. "Then a few years back, your mother fell ill, really ill; the healers tried their best, but the sickness persisted until.. well you can guess. After that you and your father moved away, to a colony on the island not far offshore. I wasn't sure if I would ever see you again." His voice had steadily grown low and subdued with the recollection of sad memories. After a moment of silence Hiro seemed to collect himself and forced a smile. "Then suddenly 7 years later, just when I was beginning to give up hope, here you are! Just in time for another of the pranks we used to play on each other!" He winked at her. Kira started to calm down a bit; surprised by the realisation that she genuinely liked him. Then a worrying thought pricked at the back of her mind. "How do I know that anything you're saying is true? How do I know that I can trust you Hiro? For that matter how do I even know that that is your real name?" She eyes darted up at him accusingly. He sighed again. When he finally spoke once more, there was a kindness and sincerity in his voice that was hard to ignore. "All I can do is give you my word, and your clothes, and hope that if you chat to me for a bit longer, I will touch on something that will jog your memory." She nodded warily. That worry was still there in the back of her head, but he seemed harmless enough, and there might be some truth to what he said; besides he seemed to have answers to the questions she had barely had the courage to ask herself! "Alright." She replied evenly. "But you're on your honour. Just because I'm listening to you doesn't mean I trust you ok?"  
"Ok ok!" he laughed raising his hands in surrender "No more jokes till you remember me. Here are your clothes. They look... Comfortable.." He threw them to her, smiling as he realised how lame his compliment must have sounded. She returned his smile gratefully, quietly shocked by how quickly she had begun to like him. She felt more than heard a voice in the back of her mind, a voice that seemed simultaneously both foreign and familiar, telling her that Hiro was indeed trustworthy, and that she should listen to what he had to say. "Actually the boots are as itchy as hell!" Replied Kira with a laugh, and the spell was broken.  
"So.. any idea how all this happened to you?" He asked, smiling lightly.  
"I… don't know…. I.. don't remember much about myself.. or anything to be honest… but I.. I don't want to talk about it" She replied, looking embarrassed, befuddled, and cross at herself in that order.  
"As you like. " He replied nonchalantly. "There's no rush for information is there? I'm sure you'll find out eventually." Then she noticed that she was still in the hot spring and he was still able to look down at her from his perch on the rock. She looked to see if her hands were appropriately placed and were covering enough. Luckily they were, and she breathed an inward sigh of relief.  
"This is a bit awkward." She giggled slightly "I wish we could have met under slightly better circumstances"  
" I know what you mean, but don't worry, I'll go," he said getting up to leave.  
" NO!... Well, I mean, you can stay, just gimme a few minutes." She said, more than slightly embarrassed at her outburst; "It's just that, …well, I've only been here a few days, and I don't know my way around very well. Already I've come across giant wormy bladed thingies!"  
"Oh you met our resident Draken then" said Hiro, she couldn't tell if he was joking about it, or being serious.  
He noticed the bandage on her arm, "Say are you okay?"  
"Wha? Oh, yeah, it hurts but I don't think it is too serious" lied Kira, touching the wound, and fighting back a wince.  
"Alright, if you're sure you're alright. Anyway I'm gonna go; see you in a few minutes." Hiro called, going around the rock and down a weather-beaten path that Kira hadn't noticed before. _Well.._ Thought Kira. _That was unexpected.. I really hope he can help me. He was pretty cute too. _She giggled slightly. Quickly, and staying as covered as her hands would allow, she went to retrieve her clothes from the side of the bank where he had thrown them and, dressing quickly, followed his trail back down the path. He was waiting for her in the next clearing, about 20 yards away.

And thats it for chapter 2, hope you all like it and i would appreciate.. hell, i CRAAAAVE feedback so please leave critique, especially advice and suggestions, as i am always looking to improve my writing. :d thanks again. All characters and Phantoms Within are (C) to me! - no stealies


	3. Chapter 3 Meet The Family

CHAPTER 3- Meet The Family

They walked for a long time, just talking about each other, sharing news about friends and family. Kira had been reluctant to go with him anywhere much less his home. But after some coaxing and reassuring from both him and the voice, she had agreed to follow him. She knew that she was being naïve and that she didn't really know anything about this man, but the voice told her that it was ok, and for whatever reason, she couldn't help but believe its words. She just hoped that she could trust that feeling not to betray her. Hiro it turned out, came from a town not far away, and was training to become a swordsman, following in his family's military footsteps. Kira couldn't tell him much about her past, and didn't feel confident enough to confide in him about her dream, so he did most of the talking; cracking jokes, and sharing stories the way friends do. They walked for what seemed like hours, Hiro pointing out and naming all the numerous birds and other little animals to her as they walked, and eventually reached Hiro's hometown, Willowstone Village. His mother Kimiko was the owner of the local tavern and he had grown up, helping her at the bar to earn a few Bronze Ferytes (1 bronze is equal to about 35pence) She welcomed Hiro back with a hug and a kiss and then noticing Kira, gave a squeal of joy and ran over and hugged her too. Kira guessed that she was well known to her. She saw Hiro roll his eyes apologetically but was too busy struggling for air. Hiro's mother was a giant of a lady, plump, with curly brown hair and a perpetual smiley grin. It was obvious to Kira from whom Hiro had inherited his great sense of humour.

Over dinner Hiro re-introduced Kira formally to both his mother and father, who was a soldier part time, and worked as a lumberjack. She explained her situation to them and was so welcomed into their hospitality that it was dark before they realised the time. Knowing that she had no-where else to go, and how dangerous the island could be at night, Hiro had little trouble convincing his parents to let her stay. She told them her story, as short as it was, about waking up on the beach, and all of the events that she could remember since then. She decided to try to evade the inevitable question of how she escaped the Draken with a laugh, hoping that the subject would not be dwelled on for long enough to become awkward. As there was not much else to do they carried on talking well into the night, and it was late when she went to bed. She had been lent one of Hiro's old shirts as a nightdress, and it was ridiculously large for her. She laughed when she saw herself in the mirror, she looked tiny! Sliding into bed, she curled herself into a little ball and was instantly sound asleep.

_The wind whipped through the rigging of the vessel, howling like some enormous creature in pain. There was a splintering crunch that could be felt as well as heard and the ship visibly lurched inwards. Its keel had been broken, and it was sinking fast. Some of the crew escaped over the side, but were drowned by the merciless tide. The central mast was falling straight towards the stern of the ship, and a young girl, not more than 17 looked over her shoulder in horror.  
She saw the mast falling towards her like a stone, and her eyes widened like those of a rabbit caught in headlights. Something inside her gave the storm behind the mast a face, a face grinning evilly at her with carnivorous rage. She stood stock still, transfixed and unable to move. The mast missed her by bare centimetres and awoke her from the nightmares racing through her mind. She stared out to sea, saw and felt the dark waves tossing the little ship about like a plaything. She saw yet another wave, it's claw-like crest almost as high as the second mast, sweep it's way towards the ship with ominous rapidity; and she screamed as the wave swept over the side onto the deck and dragged the wrecked little ship into the murky depths. The girl tried to escape the grasp of the ocean, but her foot was caught in the rigging of the doomed vessel. Desperately she cried out as she went under, but in vain, for her voice was all but drowned out by the thunder. She swallowed a lungful of the raging tide and panicked further, arms and legs flailing in an uncoordinated striving for life. In her last moments she prayed a silent plea of help to any God or Goddess that could hear her. Frantically she tried to free herself from her bonds, but to no avail, and she was pulled into oblivion along with the rest of the crew. She saw the waves crashing overhead one last time, and then blacked out. _

It was late when she woke up for, despite the nightmare, the mattress was not nearly as hard as the ground, and she had missed the sunrise. There was the delicious smell of meat and eggs wafting up from the kitchen below, and she quickly dressed. She intended to wash again at the spring after breakfast, but still determined to hide herself, and her clothes better this time. She was hungrier than she could ever remember, and both she and Hiro piled their plates high with food.  
While she was still finishing breakfast, Hiro hurried her away, pulling her along by her good arm. "C'mon I got something to show ya!" He grinned excitedly "You're gonna love it!" She had wondered what he had been up to over the last few days, as he had been disappearing mysteriously early in the morning and not coming back to the house until late at night, bathed in dirt and sweat, and occasionally blood. He had reassured her that it was not his, and she had calmed down. She ran after him eagerly, wanting to see what he had spent so much time on. When they reached the clearing Kira's eyes widened as she saw a large hut surrounding the hot spring. It even had a door on it. "Oh that's so sweet, thank you!" she cried, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. He was surprised by the kiss, but pleased that Kira was happy.  
"Yeah, I thought on the morning that I met you that you'd be interested in some privacy whilst you're washing." He laughed; "It was no big deal really, just something I knocked together over the last few days" He added modestly. "…And also as a kind of 'sorry for nicking your clothes' thing" he added with a rueful smile. Kira slapped him gently on the wrist "And don't let it happen again!" she scolded in mock anger, laughing. Then she noticed the size of the building. "Hey you made it much bigger than the spring. I could live here!"  
"That was my plan." Admitted Hiro. "After all it's not far from the village, and I've already waterproofed the roof with animal skins. I decided to leave the interior decor up to you. Anyway I gotta go do the chores, but I'll be around later okay?" He turned around and started jogging up the path. Kira replied, "Yeah, okay, and THANK YOU!" Hiro turned around and waved, and she waved back. By the time she turned around and closed the door she was close to tears.


	4. Chapter 4 The Binding

CHAPTER 4 – The Binding

After almost a month with Hiro and his family, Kira was beginning to feel more at ease. She still remembered almost nothing, but at least she had a sanctuary. She and Hiro were fast becoming solid friends again, and although there was still the strange feeling in her mind, Kira had quickly resolved to let it solve itself and to leave it be. Hiro lay next to her on the beach, staring up at the sky, Heart's twin suns casting the double shadows of a flock of birds over the dunes. Kira gave a contented sigh and unconsciously nuzzled closer to him. Hiro didn't say anything, merely smiling into the sky. Kira turned to him, propping herself up on her elbow. "So.. are you going to finish my tour of the island or what? You haven't shown me any more of the island in almost a week and we've barely started!" Hiro laughed along with her. "Yeah okay, though this sand is so warm and comfortable that I can hardly be bothered to get up."  
"Oh come on you lazy little.." Her voice trailed off as she pouted, her mouth then curving once more into a smile. Her eyes danced with laughter that he was compelled to share. "It'll be fun!" Hiro sat up, body and mind slowly releasing its longing pressure on the sand. "And you can protect me from the big bad monsters!" She added, pronouncing the 'R's as 'W's in a girlish voice. Hiro burst out laughing. "Okay, okay! You win, and yeah it'll be fun. We can take lunch with us if we stop off at the tavern beforehand!" Kira gave a little squeal of joy at the idea and hugged him. "Lets go!"  
With that they set off towards the woods in the distance, lazily following the beaten path back towards the village. As they were walking, the path they were following began to thicken and became denser, to the extent that it was almost impossible to follow. It wasn't long before even Hiro wasn't entirely sure where they were. Kira was getting worried. "I don't remember the path being like this earlier, we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.. but where?" Hiro shook his head. "I don't know, I know the route like the hilt of my sword, and we've been following it exactly.. at least… I thought we were. Apparently we weren't!" To make matters worse, the sky was growing dark with ominously heavy looking clouds, where only minutes ago the sky was clear. Remembering similar clouds in her dream Kira began to panic. "H..Hiro, I think a storm is on its way. The clouds are really really dark. Even if we can't find our way back now, we have to find shelter; I don't think we have long!"  
A distant, but foreboding growl of thunder mid-sentence added urgency to her tone.  
Hiro glanced up and nodded. "Well... the trees will offer us some protection, but it doesn't look like I'll have time to make any roof to go over our heads." They began to search for any cover that they could find.

Before long, big heavy drops of rain began to cascade through the undergrowth, and the thunder rolled ever nearer. The wind slashed the rain at their bodies, and turned the normally simple task of walking through the woods into a battle for each step through what was quickly becoming mud. There was a flash of lightning, and for a split second, Kira saw the rain sluicing across the deck of the fated ship, saw the wave that would end her life, and then she was standing in the woods again, close to Hiro and searching for shelter. Before she had taken another step, there was another blinding flash as she closed her eyes, and she found herself being dragged underwater, the tide rising rapidly around her body to engulf her. Then once more she was safe, if still wet, standing in the pouring rain. Without warning or any seeming provocation, the flashes began again, starting and finishing almost too fast to decipher reality from memory. Kira gave a cry of pain and grabbed her head in her hands, crouching down and almost screaming from the sensations that pounded her skull. Hiro ran over to her, a worried frown creasing his brow. "Kira! … Kira! Are you okay?" He helped her to stand up. She still held her head with her hands, agonised tears lost in the downpour. "I've found some shelter. Its not much, but its all we have. Come on!" Kira nodded weakly and, bleary eyed with rain, their clothes heavy on their skin, Hiro led her over to a plant that she hadn't seen during her search. It was huge, the leaves surrounding the bulbous flower easily towering over them. The base of the flower, where leaves met petals met soil was elliptical in shape, and translucent. Inside there appeared to be liquid. It looked to be the most guaranteed source of shelter for any foreseeable distance, and the rain was only falling more heavily.

The mud was more abundant now, and as they ran for shelter, both Hiro and Kira slipped frequently. Kira caught her foot in a loop of root and stumbled. She let out a scream of surprise that was all but lost in the thunder, instinctively putting her hands out to cushion the fall. Hiro heard her over the storm, and turning, ran back to help her up. A flash of lightning forked overhead, followed by yet another sky-tearing clap of thunder, and they ran for the shelter of the colossal leaves.

A vine-like tendril shot out of the ground and wrapped itself firmly around Hiro's ankles. Unsteadied, Hiro fell. Yet more tendrils burst forth from the ground, endeavouring to secure themselves around his arms, legs, and chest. Kira screamed in terror as she saw the flower open to reveal a gaping set of jaws.  
The vines sprouted from the base of the carnivorous plant, running underground and popping up at various intervals, where the slightest touch could awaken the flower to a potential meal. Hiro shouted at her. "Kira. RUN!!. Go get help!.. GO!!" Kira hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave Hiro at the mercy of the plant, but after another strangled shout from Hiro, she obeyed. Turning she ran in what she new to be the general direction of the village. With difficulty, Hiro managed to unholster his sword and began hacking at the tendrils securing him. But new vines replaced the severed ones almost as soon as he had cut them. In response to his assault the tendrils began to constrict around him, robbing him of his breath and, consequently his strength. His vision began to blur, and as Hiro's world got darker and darker, his strikes grew weaker and weaker, until he could no longer even hold his sword. It fell to the ground and Hiro fell into unconsciousness. The plant slowly began to drag its prey toward itself, lifting Hiro into the air and opening its mouth wide. Hiro was oblivious as the tentacles guided him to his demise.

Kira hadn't stopped running. She was so distracted by Hiro's plight that she barely knew where she was going. She knew that she had run in a circle more than once, and one tree looked very much like another even at the best of times, let alone to a distressed mind. It was more by luck that by knowledge that Kira found the village. She ran up to the first person she saw, Hiro's mother Kimiko, but was gasping so hard for breath that she couldn't utter a word. Nevertheless the tears streaming down her face and the look of terror crossing her features told the growing crowd of villagers that there was something very wrong. When she could finally speak, Kira's voice was high and shaky.

"H…Hiro.. plant… attacked...us…He's…in danger. Please… !!"  
Kimiko marshalled the village-folk into a search party with surprising rapidity, and Kira led the way as best she could, struggling to keep up with Kimiko as she ran to help her son. They neared the plant, slowing to a wary gait as they drew close. A vine shot out of the ground and grabbed one of the men, hauling him high into the air. A torch carried by another villager burnt it back and several strong arms caught the man. No more tendrils were aimed at them, at least for the moment. There came a scream of dismay from both Kimiko and Kira as they saw Hiro submerged in the clear, liquid-filled belly of the plant. Hiro's eyes were closed, but bubbles of air could periodically be seen drifting up from his mouth. A vine was wrapped under his nose, supplying him with air. For whatever reason, the plant was keeping Hiro alive. Enraged, one villager hurled his flaming torch at the plant. It hit an exposed petal and scorched it, before falling to the ground. With astonishing speed, the thick waxy leaves closed up, forming a hard shell around the vulnerable centre of the flower, and the loops of vines retracted back into the ground, only to explode to the surface by the plant. Their entire length was visible, and they whipped slowly back and forth.  
As if sensing where the fire's source was, a vine shot out and wrapped itself around the now weaponless man's neck. He too was lifted off the ground, rasping for air through a crushed larynx, before being thrown back into the crowd, choking to death. The angered mob fell silent, until a second vine entangled another villager. The woman was quickly saved from the same fate as the now dead villager as the rest of the rescuers began assaulting the plant. Still more vines burst from the ground, grabbing individual men and women at random and strangling them. The fire did little to damage the waxy leaves, but the vines were lethal.

So much death was more than Kira could take. It broke her heart to see such a loss of life. "Stop…" She went unheard amidst the shouts of anger and screams of pain. "Please…stop!"  
The plant was relentless in its defence. The vines were working together now, co-ordinating against individual people; snapping and rending and throwing.  
One villager, a giant of a man who was actually making good progress against the leaves was singled out. Several vines attacked him. Each took hold of an extremity and pulled. The man's arms, legs and head snapped off like twigs, amid screams of agony. More blood spilled across the ground. Kira couldn't stand and watch any more. She collapsed to her knees whimpering. _I. I caused this.. I should have helped Hiro, instead I just dragged these people to their deaths! It should be me in that plant…_ She felt more than heard another voice in her mind. _Calm down Kira.. its ok.. try to clear your mind. Give me control._ Kira didn't know what the voice meant or why she trusted it, but she knew she had to. She tried to block out the sounds of torture around her, and cleared her mind, allowing it to drift. Then she heard herself speaking. She began to panic once more. _B..But I'm not saying that.. what's going on?!_ The pain returned, when she had tried to block out this feeling the first time. Still crouching on the floor, Kira began to hyperventilate. "W..Whats happening to me?!" The voice cut through her mind sharply, and then relaxed to a more soothing tone. _Listen to me. I wont hurt you, just let me handle this. Please! _The voice was urgent, but calming. Against her own judgement Kira allowed the voice to resume control. Meanwhile the villagers were still unsuccessfully attempting to free Hiro. Bodies were strewn everywhere and blood was turning the ground a deep crimson. It made the voice angry.

"So.. much destruction... Such disregard for life.. " 'Kira' glared up at the plant, and her eyes turned purple. "They didn't have to die!!" Her hair turned a purple-black, and her markings glowed. The runite circle appeared on the ground around her, and she stood up. Those villagers that were still alive, upon seeing the mauve fires that were her eyes, turned and fled, filled with renewed fear. The being looked at the plant and spoke, her voice cold and overflowing with rage. "Conscious action or not, you _will_ pay for the death caused here!!" Closing her eyes, she spoke but one word in another language, lowering her hands, palms upwards, and they seemed to become engulfed in purple flame. The flames instantly began to shape themselves into balls of violet energy that swirled with deadly grace. Sparks of black lightning crackled around them, occasionally arcing from one palm to the other. The figure opened her eyes, murmuring "Don't move Hiro, I wont let you die." With that she flew forwards, covering the distance to the plant with blinding speed. Somehow sensing the new, greater threat, vines shot out to try to spear her, but she twisted past them. They were fast, but she was faster. She blazed past them, her burning hands leaving them as ash in her wake. She skidded to a near stop to avoid a wall of thorned tendrils that sprung up in front of her to trap her in their embrace, and flipped over them.

Seeming to hang in the air above the plant, the being took aim and threw first one, and then the other sphere of energy at the vulnerable top of the flower. With each impact the plant convulsed, as if in pain. The blasts however, for all their power did virtually nothing to damage the protective shell of leaves. Upon landing in a graceful somersault, the being noticed tendrils attached to Hiro that she hadn't noticed before.  
There was a look of agony on his face. "No you don't," growled the being, more energy blasts forming in her hands; "You're not draining his life to save yours!" Once again she flew at the plant. She dodged vine after vine until she once more neared the plant. Five tendrils stabbed at her at once, and the being threw herself into a backward tuck, her momentum carrying her forwards over the plant once more.  
The razor pointed vines that would have skewered her collided below, tangling and writhing like serpents. The being copied her earlier assault, but aimed for one specific point on one leaf. Both energy blasts hit, and the plant screamed again.  
_Hiro, forgive me this pain_ She fired several more energy blasts, all hitting the same spot. The leaves began to crack and smoke, the vines swiping harmlessly below her.  
Such a concentrated barrage was too much for the leaves to withstand, and one more burst of fire saw the leaf break free and fall, smouldering to the ground. The weak petals of the flower were visible. The being began to glide down, burning to a cinder any vines that threatened to attach themselves to her, and used the energy swirling around her palm to burn away the petals. An unnoticed vine began to wrap itself around her body, winding around her, but not touching. Far too late to react, the being noticed the tendril about her body. The vine enclosed itself around her and like lightning lifted her into the air. She was being lowered towards the now gaping mouth of dagger-edged petals. She fired another blast of energy, but several vines blocked her from damaging the sensitive jaws. Two more vines snapped around her wrists and held them so that she couldn't aim at the plant. Now defenceless, she was lowered into the liquid alongside Hiro, who tried to look at her. He was so drained of energy that his eyes couldn't focus. Now freed from the vines, the being passed one hand over the fist of the other and focused a ball of energy into a blade of dark fire. The liquid slowed her motions to a crawl, but with jagged thrusts, she was able to saw Hiro free. The same tube that was supplying Hiro with air sprouted another vine in her direction. She hacked it away using the blade. _if its all the same to you, we wont be staying._ Using the same blade, she began to hack at the clear membrane of the plant, hoping against hope that her energy would hold out long enough to break free. It did, and together with Hiro, the being tumbled out of the now ailing plant, drenched to the bone, but nonetheless alive.

Standing shakily, the being helped Hiro to his feet, slapping him gently, and then more forcefully across the cheek to wake him. Slowly, uncertainly, he opened his eyes, pupils wide and unfocused. When he could finally stand unaided, after several minutes, she spoke. "Hiro.. Hiro can you hear me?" He nodded slowly, still unsure of where he was. Before she had a chance to say anything further, the being heard a thud, followed by a volley of shouts, and more stones being thrown at her.  
"Stone the witch! Kill her! She lured us to that monster!" Jagged rocks began to rain down all around her, only luck and her distance from the villagers sparing the being from a pummelling. "Time to go" She muttered to the barely conscious Hiro, quickly wrapping her arm around his waist and picking him up. _I have to hurry_ she thought, sensing herself getting weaker. Wasting no further time on thoughts, she focused. A smaller version of the runite circle appeared around her feet, and a smoky purple glow floated around her calves. More stones thudded down as the villagers neared, each running step making them more accurate. And then, just as suddenly as that first hurled stone had fallen, she was gone. A small flash of light from around her feet, a wash of displaced air, and she was just gone. The villagers slowed to a stop in indecision.


	5. Chapter 5 Knowledge

CHAPTER 5 –Knowledge 

I

Several hundred meters away, near the cave that Kira had sheltered in before, the being reappeared. She kneeled down and lay Hiro's head on her legs, looking down at him as would a mother to her child. "Wow.. that was one helluva jump" he muttered groggily. The rush of air had done him some good but he was hardly fighting fit.  
"Did you save me from that plant thing? I owe you my thanks, not to mention my life!" He managed to force his old smile. The being looked at him kindly.  
"You are weak at the moment, you need to rest, try not to over-exert yourself." Hiro nodded gently "Don't worry, I hardly feel like going for a run." The being just smiled again. "What did that plant want with us anyway? By the Goddess, was it even a plant? I've never seen anything like it!"  
The being, who by now was looking rather weary herself, looked down at him as though it were both the most obvious question in the world, and a quandary in its own right.  
"I believe it was a symbiotic relationship that the planted needed. Your breath contains compounds that this plant cannot apparently extract naturally. In return the plant would have provided you with air and your other bodily needs. Eventually of course the symbiote dies and the plant must find another source of nutrition. My guess is that it has lived so successfully with this arrangement that it no longer retains conventional roots; and the leaves merely provide protection from weather and predators. I expect they have little, if any photosynthetic properties at all. To be honest with you Hiro, I'm just glad that we are safe." Hiro nodded up at her, now understanding the unprovoked attack.  
"Me too… but... who are you? You're not Kira?!" The being's eyes widened for a moment, and then she gave a quiet laugh; a laugh that was simultaneously Kira's, yet also foreign. Hiro's brow furrowed, confused.  
"Well.. in a manner of speaking... I'm guessing she didn't tell you?" Hiro shook his head, still bewildered. This was a lot for a newly conscious mind to process.  
Then a thought dawned on her. _Maybe Kira doesn't know either. I always assumed that the prophesied mind would be one with a depth of knowledge about the supernatural, not some innocent child!. This will be awkward._  
She was distracted from her reverie by Hiro murmuring something.  
"What was that?"  
"I said.. are you ok, you were away with the Tereilian fairies there." She returned his strangely familiar smile and nodded. "Yes, I suppose I was. Tell me Hiro, What do you know of my soul-string?" Hiro blinked at her "Soul-what?" The being sighed, running a hand languidly through her indigo hair.  
"My soul-string, Kira. She didn't tell you anything did she?" Again Hiro shook his head. "She hasn't really told me much about anything. She's a very different person from the Kira I used to know. I mean she has the same personality but something's not quite right. She doesn't remember me, or our past, or even how she lost her memory at all for that matter." Hiro paused, a look of grave concern on his face, and then as if returning to his normal self, a grin replaced the frown. "And speaking of not knowing things, what do I call you? Kira No.2? Its hardly fair that you know my name and I'm stuck calling you the girl with purple hair now is it?" He had his mock humour back at full strength now. _a good sign_ she thought.

"I apologise." Replied the entity, still smiling at his comment. "You may call me Kira if you so wish, but you were quite correct, I am not her. My name is Rei. Believe it or not I travelled through the stars to find Kira. My race is from an entirely different dimension." Hiro blinked once more and shook his head. "Wait…Rei.. Stop. My head hurts. So you're not Kira, but you are, or rather you're in her body, and you travelled some distance that I don't even want to begin to try to imagine right now, just to get here." He paused before mentioning her name, mind still trying to grasp the enforced duality of Kira's mind. Rei nodded, helping Hiro to sit up against the wall of the cave with her.

"In our dimension we exist in a ghost-like state. Upon entry into different atmospheres, the protection of a host body is required. In some ways, we resemble that plant, though we are non-parasitic. Your friend Kira and I are tied together in fate. Our souls share the same destiny and are thus bound at that level. This is part of the reason for Kira's strange nature. She is inside my mind, and I within hers. Whilst this is a strength and a side-effect of both our confliction of race, and unity of providence, It will also present a bitter challenge, especially for Kira. She currently has the collective emotions and consciousness of the both of us, and along with that our memories. I attempted to make this transition simpler for her by suppressing our memory anagrams behind a wall, one that she will not wish toconfront or defeat... though this may present challenges of its own. If Kira mentions such dreams to you, pretend not to know, because should she find out and question the dream-wall it will fall, as its integrity depends on her lack of understanding."

Hiro looked at her, desperately trying to comprehend Kira's burden. No-matter how hard he tried, he couldn't begin to imagine the intensity of what Kira's mind was being forced to endure. "No wonder Kira's been feeling so weird lately.. two people in one body… " Hiro's words trailed away into thoughts. He suddenly felt very tired, and stifled a yawn. Rei prodded him rather unceremoniously with the stick.

"You need to hear all of this Hiro, You and I shall soon have to reveal this to Kira. At the moment her comprehension of her destiny is non-existent. Until she has learned to understand the world as she currently perceives it, without a lifetime of knowledge, it would easily over-encumber her mind to reveal what you now know. There is more to be understood for you as well. In order to understand why you are involved in this presage, you must first comprehend the prophecy. My race are known as the Shadians. Our name, combined with our appearance has led us to be called 'The Shade' in the cultures of many species. One very famous legend in _our_ culture depicts a female of your bipedal species wearing a symbol on her arms; the very same pictogram that Kira has on hers. It is said that upon the end of days for all sentient life, this person will save us from the darkness. In the legendary scroll, the girl is seen tied by the heart to two other females almost identical in appearance. The one on her left has wings of light, whilst the girl on the right disappears into darkness from the waist down, as if being consumed by it. You see Hiro, I was sent by my people to give Kira those wings, and with them, the power to defeat that rising darkness. Our meeting, as well as the reuniting of Kira to you was by destiny and design, not chance."  
With that, Rei stood up and walked down the path. "Rei. Wait! Where are you going?" At his shout Rei turned and called back. "I'm getting us some more firewood, you stay there and rest; when I come back I will need a favour!" Hiro just sighed and lay his head back against the rock. . _Don't worry Kira; you're not alone in this. Me and Rei are here to stay! _He chuckled quietly, feeling his eyelids close of their own accord. _I wonder what Rei's favour will be…_


	6. Chapter 5 Part II Misconception

II

Hiro was abruptly awoken from a dream that would, in light of everything but the most recent of conversations, have seemed utterly bizarre, by the smell of a vile paste on a leaf thrust under his nose. His eyes fluttered open into an instant grimace, changing to a look of surprise as Rei unceremoniously shoved the leaf into his mouth.  
The taste was as bad as the aroma, but Rei's command to "Chew" was too forceful to ignore. With surprising rapidity, warmth spread to the entirety of his body, and he felt mobility returning to his cramped and weary limbs. "Wow.. that stuff really works; can't say that it's a party for the senses, but I must admit it gets the job done." Hiro smiled through a taste-induced shudder, a smile returned by Rei, who sat at a polite distance turning the logs on the makeshift campfire. "Yes. Water, Leiraoula root and a few drops of Quiverallian vinegar on a Guar leaf is far from the most palatable substance to stomach, but the potion is quite the healer." Rei resisted the temptation to laugh at the remaining grimace on Hiro's face. "On the subject of water, please.. In the name of the Goddess give me some water. With the taste of that potion I feel as if I've been eating ashes!" Rei passed him the bottle from his pack, resuming her prodding of the fire. After almost draining the canteen of its contents Hiro passed it back to her. "So… what was that favour you wanted?" Rei looked at him, opening her mouth to speak.  
Without warning her eyes narrowed. "Damn I thought that we would have had more time than this!" Her breath was a low frustrated growl. Hiro looked at her questioningly. "Your village friends saw me take Kira over when we were fighting the plant. Needless to say, I expect they think I am some sort of sorcerer. I shall never fathom why you humanoid species are always so paranoid when it comes to things you cannot comprehend. I was hoping that we would have enough time for you to peacefully return to the village with Kira and explain; that was the favour, but..." Her voice trailed off into a quietly repeated "Damn".

Hiro stood up alongside her, able to steady himself now. "I'll go talk to them now" he offered. "They'll listen to me" Rei shook her head. "No. We'll both go. I have a plan.. of sorts.. But Kira will need your protection if they don't believe me. Ok? " Hiro nodded grimly. The first stone was hurled at them before they even cleared the cave, one overzealous villager setting off the others. A high-pitched shout pierced the angry yells of the would-be stoners, and they stopped. It was Kimiko, who having seen Hiro ordered a cease-fire, at least temporarily. Rei walked calmly towards her, intent on explaining, but was cut off before her first word by a violent slap from Kimiko. Rei resisted the instinctive impulse to defend herself. "How dare you!" Shouted Kimiko. "How Dare You! Not only do you try to kill us, but then you abduct my son… And to think I let you into my home.. a Witch.. in my house! Begone evil-doer!" Angry jeers accompanied her every word. Hiro could see more stones being readied. "Enough!" Everybody froze, looking at him, including Rei. "Enough.. Listen mother.. Listen all of you!" He turned to look at each of them in turn. "This girl.. this.. this 'Witch' as you name her, saved my life." Sarcastic jeers were silenced with a glare. "Yes, she may have 'kidnapped' me, and yes she may have been there when the plant attacked us, and yes she does have extraordinary powers, But.. consider this. How many of you do you think would be here now to condemn her, had she not been there? How many of you would be grieving now? I know you would have cause for tears mother. And so I say, if this woman is guilty of anything, it is only of being afraid to reveal herself, because of just this sort of barbaric superstition! If any of you wish to harm her, then you will have to go through me first!" There were quiet murmurs of agreement amongst many of the villagers, until one shouted out "She has bewitched him. Listen to him sing her praises, he's under her spell. She truly _is_ a witch. Stone her!" Against even Kimiko's protests, Hiro was seized and held fast by several men as the others advanced on Rei. _I hoped it wouldn't come to this. But Kira must survive.. Whatever the cost._ As the first, and then progressively more stones were flung at her, Rei began to glow purple. A barrier of darkness enveloped her like a bubble, and the stones merely bounced off. Violet eyes shining, swirls of energy began to form in her palms. Instinctively the villagers shrank back, though they still surrounded her. But the energy, and the barrier dissipated into purple smoke. _No.. Not now!_ There was a brief, and blindingly bright flash of light, and Rei was gone. In her place was Kira, who fell to the ground, unconscious. The villagers continued, stirred into an angry, unseeing mob. To them Kira was a witch, whatever form she decided to take. "Stone Kira.. Stone the witch! KILL HER! KILL HER!"  
The pummelling of the rocks had awoken her and now, not knowing what to do, or why she was suddenly hated, all Kira could do was curl into a ball on the ground. "Stop… please stop.. Why are you doing this?.. Hiro please.. I need you.. Where are you? HIRO?!" Hiro heard her cries of pain, heard her calling for him, and something animal inside him snapped. His left elbow connected brutally with one of the men's faces, and as he spun around Hiro brought his other fist into a second captor's jaw in an uppercut, sending him reeling to the ground. He head-butted a third man that had been holding him, and ran to Kira's aid. He stood between Kira and the villagers, arms spread wide, and the hail of rocks stopped. "Look at her! Look what you've done to her..!" Kira could be heard sobbing quietly behind him. She was literally shaking in fear and barely dared to raise her head enough to look at the villagers around her. Even when she finally did, she didn't have the courage to look them in the eye. Kira's body was covered in mud and blood and bruises, and her face was streaked where tears had cleaned the dirt away. Hiro glanced over his shoulder at her, and the hard edge to his face softened in compassion. He turned to face them once more. "Look at her!.. She's no witch. She's nothing but a frightened girl who was trying to protect you all.. and this is how you thank her?!" Hiro's voice lowered from its angered crescendo to a quieter note, but the cold rage remained. "You should all be disgusted with yourselves. Some of you have even known her since she was a child! How could you turn on her like this?!" Kimiko walked up to him, tears running down her own cheeks. "Y..You're right.. you're right Hiro.. how could we be ruled by terror like this? Kira… Kira I'm so sorry." Kimiko's apology sounded pathetically inadequate even to her own ears. There were floods of other, similar shared sentiments from the other villagers as Hiro helped a bruised Kira to her feet.

Without warning Kira let go of Hiro and ran. Several villagers made a move to follow her, but Hiro shook his head. "I'll go, she wont want to talk to anyone, perhaps not even me.." Hiro glared once more at the villagers, adding a coldly spoken "Well, I hope you're proud of yourselves, you almost killed an guiltless woman!" before running after her.


	7. Chapter 6 L'Inflammadametre

CHAPTER 6 – L'inflammadametre

Hiro caught her quickly, knowing instinctively where she would go, to find her sprawled face-first on the beach, having tripped over moments before in her miserable haste. Before he had even slowed beside her she was up and running again, outpacing even him, but she tripped once more, tears rendering her all but blind. He walked up to her as she lay in the sand sobbing, hoping that the mere sight of a friendly face would be enough to calm her. To even his surprise, he was right. Kira looked up at him, face still streaked with mud and blood and tears, but didn't run this time. Instead she took his offered hand and collapsed into his arms. Renewed whimpers and floods of tears quickly drenched his shirt, but his only care was her. When Kira had cried herself to a standstill he released his embrace of her and looked at her dishevelled features. A small smile crossed his lips as he saw that even now, she was achingly beautiful. It was hard to think of her as the childhood friend he had known. The sweet little girl with the cherub face now seemed far away. Kira had become a strikingly attractive young woman, and he felt a primal desire to protect her. He smiled into her gazing eyes and pressed her head close to his heart. His regular rhythm seemed to calm her somewhat as he spoke.  
"Kira.. I.. I don't know what to say to you to make you feel any better, I can't imagine what that must have been like for you.. but.." He paused, searching for words. "The villagers wanted to say that they're sorry. I didn't let them come with me to say so because I didn't think you'd want to be near them, but.. will you come back with me so they can apologise to your face? I know it would mean a lot to them to try to put right what they did." Kira gave a small, weak nod and, with his arm around her shoulder, Hiro walked with Kira back towards the village.

The moment Kira arrived on the outskirts there was pandemonium. It seemed as if the entire province had turned out to beg forgiveness. There were floods of apologies from all sides and some of the women even offered Kira hastily prepared baskets of food. Hiro tried to stop the village folk from crowding her, with little success. Kira still said nothing, merely gave the occasional nod and continued, with Hiro acting as a bodyguard, to thread her way through the village. She barley dared to even look up as Kimiko rushed out of her house to join in the clamour of remorse, tears too close to the surface again to risk saying anything. She broke the fleeting eye-contact that was created, with a look of sadness and fright, unable to bear Kimiko's apologetic stare and continued to walk, slowly towards her hut. Upon reaching her humble dwellings Kira walked into what was her bedroom, leaving the front door open, and collapsed into a renewed flood of tears. Hiro endeavoured to cheer her up, commenting on her choice of interior, but in vain. Through her tears Hiro heard a quiet "Please… please leave me alone.." before complying, sadly, with her wishes and leaving.

Kira was awoken from her usual nightmare by the sense that something was wrong. Wiping her eyes and sitting up she looked out of her window at the sky. It was the colour of blood, and the clouds were swirling unnaturally. Heart's twin suns were aligned as one darkened sphere of ochre light and there were no birds to be seen or heard. _What's wrong with the sky?_ thought Kira a combined sense of awe and dread filling her at the sight. _Could it be that the villagers have angered the Divine Couple Hiro spoke of? But even then why would what happened to me be of importance to the heavens?_ Dressing quickly, Kira stepped out of her hut, only to see the entire horizon the same deathly shade. There was clearly something _very_ wrong. All previous events forgotten, she rushed to the village.

When she arrived, the settlement was the image of chaos. Houses were boarded up, the livestock were no-where to be seen, and the villagers were rushing around in a hysteria of panic. Kira spotted Hiro ushering the women and children towards some nearby catacombs with several other men, and ran over to him. "Hiro.. the sky.. what's wrong?" He looked over to her, a brief smile flashing over his grave face. He left his position, which was filled by another man, to fall in step with her as she walked slowly through the almost deserted buildings. He muttered something under his breath. Seeing Kira's questioning gaze he spoke up. "L'inflammadametre. It's a Malogian word. Literally translated it means 'fire from the skies'. I've heard of this phenomenon many a time in fantasy and legend, but I never feared it would touch my life." Without warning Kira embraced him.  
"I know what you're going to say so don't bother, I'm not leaving you for any safe-hole, you need all the help you can find!"  
Hiro shook his head. "No Kira, you need to go to the caves along with the other villagers, I'll follow you soon, don't worry." Kira's grip on him tightened in fear for him. "Hiro, if you really are the old friend you say you are, then don't send me away, you're the only person I know and I don't want to lose you. Please Hiro, please let me stay." She gazed up at him pleadingly. Hiro sighed and smiled down at her kindly. "Kira.. don't you understand? Its because of our friendship that I _want_ you to go with the others, now please, for your safety, go. I'll be alright." Kira still looked doubtful. "I promise, okay?" He reached out with one finger and wiped away the tears that pricked at the corners of her eyes. She sighed, both in resignation and at how even such a simple gesture by him could calm her. "O...k Hiro, I trust you. But please.. PLEASE by the Goddess be safe!" With that she turned and joined the stream of other women and children heading for the caverns.

The clouds were swirling ominously quickly, yet there was a deathly silence from the skies. The men were beginning to follow the women towards the shelter now, only the bravest staying to search for others. Before long tiny pinpricks of iridescent light could be seen in the sky. There was a panicked and instinctive movement further into the caverns as the lights began to get nearer, and larger. Before long the first of countless many fireballs struck the ground. It sailed high over the village in a deafening roar and continued. There was a palpable feeling of relief as the noise died away, returning almost instantaneously to fear as they awaited the sound of the impact. The explosion was more felt than heard in the cavern, as dust was dislodged from the ceiling. More lights began falling from the sky, some falling short, others carrying on overhead, striking some other part of the landscape. Inevitably, comets soon began to rain down upon the settlement in greater and greater regularity as the storm intensified. Many of the children were crying and people were shouting out in fear and prayer. One villager was beginning a somewhat apocalyptic sermon. "The sky isn't falling. Its being thrown at us! Repent your transgressions or be lost to the wrath of the divinity!" It was then, in horror, as the storm intensified further that Kira realised Hiro wasn't with her.

She looked around frantically, calling out over the thundering detonations outside.  
"Hiro? HIRO?! Has anybody seen him? HIRO!!!" Many people ignored her, too caught up in their own despair at what sounded like a warzone. She jumped as one of the men lay a hand on her shoulder. "He was one of the last to leave, We kept telling him to run, but he wouldn't! He was trying to find Kimiko. He said he'd catch us up."  
Kira nodded her worried thanks to the man, walking her way closer to the entrance and gazing at the destruction outside before slumping against the cavern wall, tears streaming silently from her eyes. The sky, and now the earth it seemed, was burning, being obliterated from existence by some malignant fire. Kira barely even dared pray that Hiro would survive. Even over the deafening crescendo of impacts outside, the piercing scream of a mortally wounded woman came from the village. It turned the blood of many of the villagers instantly cold. "Hiro… please… you promised me..."

Unable to restrain herself anymore, Kira ran out of the cave towards the village and the scream, dodging around craters and over smouldering rubble. A missile the size of a barrel fell nearby and the ground shook her to her knees. She was up and running before the rain of earth smote her, calling out ever more desperately.  
"HIRO? HIRO? Oh please be okay… OHMIGOD!!!"  
She ran over to where he was pinned under a fallen building and began scraping away timber and stones like a madwoman, with little regard for her or for that matter anybody else's safety, her face resembling war paint where the tears had washed the dirt clear. The maelstrom was beginning to abate now, and some of the braver men arrived to help her free Hiro from his prison. There were more cries of dismay when they saw who might have screamed. Next to a smoking corpse of what barely resembled anything human, was Kimiko, lying over the unmoving body of Hiro. There was a large splinter of wood through her back, evidently exiting through her torso by the quantity of blood. The fiery hail must have struck the building and sent deadly wooden shrapnel in all directions.  
Two men were elected the solemn task of moving Kimiko to save Hiro, which they attempted to achieve in a respectfully gentle manner, before laying her on the ground beside her son.

Kira had watched all this with horror. She ran over to Hiro, ripping open his shirt and carefully removing a shard of wood that remained embedded in the wound. She gave a cry of dismay when she saw the injury; it was broad, and deep. Hiro was unconscious and had clearly lost a lot of blood. She dare not move him away from the hellish rain to the caverns in case of any further injury, but she dare not leave him there either. _What do I do? I don't know how to cure something like this… And I can't just leave him here… Oh goddess help me!_ Another villager crouched down beside her, looked at the wound and muttered something unintelligible. Looking over she saw it was the village healer, a wizened old man, and a man of high accolade in the surrounding villages. He nodded at her sagely. "Don't worry you's'self about 'im girly, I know a potion or three.. He'll be right as rain again in't'morning." With that, the wise man stood up and walked off towards his yurt, one of the few remaining three-dimensional features in the village, presumably to concoct something for Hiro. Kira breathed a sigh of relief, even more so as the first of scattered rays of sunlight began to filter through the now rapidly dissipating clouds. _The Goddess truly did watch over us!_ She whispered a quiet 'Thank you' before standing up and allowing several villagers to gently move Hiro onto an animal-skin stretcher, watching as they carried him to the healer's shack. "May she continue to watch over you too Hiro."


End file.
